Rectify: If GovGuam fails to fix problems at prison, judge must take action

Our elected officials must stop ignoring the chronic problems at the Department of Corrections and move forward with plans to build a new, modern prison. Guam is in clear need of a modern prison facility with space to accommodate not only the current prison population, but any growth in the number of inmates and detainees.

The main prison facility, originally built in the early 1970s to house 300 prisoners, now holds around 700, the vast majority being detainees. The prison is far too overcrowded.

The Department of Corrections has responded to the growing population of inmates and detainees by converting classrooms and other rooms into cell space. This has hurt efforts to help inmates complete their education and thus become more likely to end up back in prison.

The prison also lacks adequate medical facilities to take proper care of inmates and detainees. Medical, dental and mental health issues at the prison are now the focus of federal court hearings aimed at getting DOC to come into compliance with a 23-year-old Department of Justice consent decree.

Furthermore, the prison lacks an adequate number of corrections officers, which is a clear public safety concern -- it means a lack of adequate supervision of inmates and detainees, not to mention large amounts of overtime on a regular basis. The prison recently has had to deal with the escape of a detainee and lapses in prison regulations.

There already is existing legislation to allow the government of Guam to enter into lease agreements to design, finance and construct a new facility. Gov. Eddie Calvo and his administration must move forward with this effort. Elected officials also should explore fully privatizing the prison, as many communities have done in the United States, especially if the contractor is willing to build and maintain the prison as part of the deal.

Calvo and lawmakers have a duty to our community to ensure these longstanding problems at the prison are fixed. Elected officials always say public safety is important. It's time they finally lived up to their words.

If the governor and lawmakers can't or won't do what's necessary to address these problems, then the federal court must do what's necessary -- including receivership -- to force GovGuam to make the needed fixes.